Combined seeder and harrow



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. M. CLARK.

COMBINED SEEDER AND HARROW. No. 380,422. Patented Apr. 8, 1888.

2 Sheets-Sheet G. M. CLARK.

COMBINED SEEDBR AND EARROW.

(No Model.)

Patented AprLB, 1888.

other, and in which each diskaxle has more UNITED STATES PATENT Caries,

GEORGE MARSHALL CLARK, OF HIGGANUM, CONNECTICUT.

COMBINED SEEDER AND HARROW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380F422, dated April 3, 1888.

Serial K0. 262,390. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE MARsnALL CLARK, of Higganum, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Seeder and Harrow; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete description of the several features of my invention.

In all seeding contrivances agitators of some kind are necessarily employed for securing a proper delivery of seed through the apertures or ducts leading from the seed-box, and as a rule a revolving shaft is employed in or so nearly adjacent to the seed-box that it may carry or be operatively coupled to the agitators. This shaft has been rotatively operated in various ways from some revolving portion of aharrow or soil-working apparatus, or from a roller attached thereto, and endless drive chains have been relied upon for the communication of power to the seed-box shaft. In such seeding apparatus as involve fixed relations between the seed-box shaft and the revolving axle, from which said shaft is driven, no serious difficulties are attendant upon the use of either gear-wheels or drivechains; but in all instances wherein variations constantly occur in said relations, while the machine is in service, as well as when such variations are due to adjustments of the soil-working parts, it has always heretofore been deemed neces sary to employ a considerable length of drivechain,with much normal slack, and means whereby said slack may be taken up or yielded, as by means of spring or weighted chain'tightening devices. The said variations are specially observable in seeders embodying what are known as rev olvingdisk hat-rows having disk-axles which are angular to each or less freedom of movement independently of the seed-box; and it is in connection with that type of soiLworking apparatus that I have advantageously employed my present improvements, whether the soil-working devices be plain disks or certain bladed disks disclosed in my Letters Patent No. 369,163, dated August 30,188? and Ihave also found that an ordinary toothed barrow, if provided with a roller, can

be made to perform fairly good service in seeding by mounting a seed-box on the harrow and coupling the agitator of said box with the roller by means of a drive-chain applied in accordauce with mypresent invention, one of my objects being to provide driving mechanism which may be applied for operating a seedboX,in connection with many ofsuch soil-working machines, as necessarily afford the requisite rotary motion, as well as to such as may be readily provided with a roller, to operate not only as a soil-surfacer or seed-coverer, but also for operating the seed-boX agitator, or other mechanism which may be carried in the seed-box.

Another object of my invention is to avoid anyactual necessity for slack chain, and hence to obviate such tightening contrivances as have been heretofore required for taking up and controlling the variable slack in drive-chains as heretofore organized, but to nevertheless provide for reliable service regardless of all such variations in position and adjustment as are liable to occur and are desirable as between the source of rotary motion and the seed-box mechanism. Iattain these endsby means of ajointed drive-chain frameinterposed between the seed box shaft which is to be rotated and the revolving source of motion. This drive-chain frame is jointed centrally, and in its best form is provided at its principal joint with a single wheel having two sprocket-grooves, so as to accom modate two separate drive-chains. At one end of said frame it is pivotally yoked upon the seed-box shaft, and on the latter there is a sprocketwheel. At the opposite end it is pivotally supported upon the revolving shaft from which the rotary motion is derived, and said shaft is provided with a main or driving. sprocket-wheel, and two endless chains are used, one for connecting the main sprocketwhcelwith the central or frame wheel and the other for connecting said central wheel with the sprocket-wheel on the seed-box shaft. With this jointed-chain frame both chains can always be maintained from slack and at a uniform and desirable degree of tensiou,and compensation is amply provided for, because the central sprocket-wheel will always maintain precisely the same operative relations with reference to the two sprocket-wheels at the ends of the frame regardless of the vertical variations in the position of said central wheel incident to variable positions assumed by the main sprocket-wheel and its axis or drivingaxle, either during the operation of seeding or as'a result of the adjustment of the soil-working devices. Thisjointed-chain frame may be variously constructed and arranged without impairing its capacityforeffective service and without departure from the main feature of my invention; but I have devised my frame so that in its best form it can be readily applied and removed from a harrow. I have also provided it with means for keeping the main sprocket-wheel from being unduly clogged with earth, roots, or stones. I have also so constructed said frame as to provide for a free torsional or twisting movement between the. main and the central sprocket-wheels, and,st ill further, for a desired freedom as to. lateral vi bration, and, still further, for elongating a por-. tion of the frame,all of said. features contributing to efficiency in operation and to the convenience of parties using my improvements.

Inapplying power to seed-box shafts. it has heretofore been common to connect the. driving-gearing' to one or both ends of the shaft outside of the ends of the seed-box; but. I have provided the box with a recess which affords access. to the seed-box shaft for the drivinggearing, and,as this recess can be located centrally or at any other desired point between the two endsof the seed-box, I am enabled. to locate said driving-gearing at any point on, a disk axle, for instance, instead of being re.- stricted tothe outer end of said axle; but my jointed-chain frame, either in its best form or in one ofits simpler forms, may be used regardless of itslocation with reference to the ends of the disk axle or the ends of the seedbox,as will hereinafter be made fully apparent.

To more particularly describe my invention, I will refer to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 in side view illustrates a bladed toothharrow provided with a seed-box and with my jointed chain frame in itsbest form. Fig. 2 illustrates the samein rear view. Fig. 3 in side view illustrates. my jointed-chain frame detached, but as if coupled to a seedbox shaft and a driving-shaft. Fig. 4 illus.- trates the same as Fig. 3, but. in rear view.

Fig. 5 illustrates the base portion of the chain,

fraine in partial section and also. in top View.

Fig. 6 illustrates my chain frame as applied.

to a seed box carried on atoothed harrowframe and provided with a roller for operating the seed-box shaft. Fig. 7 illustrates-a. simple form of myjointed chain frameapplied to one end ofa seed-box shaftand to an adjacent end of a disk axle or shaft. Fig. 8 in section illustrates the upper end of one of my frameswith the sprocket-wheel which engages with the seed-box shaft arranged to be readily applied to and removed from said shaft when in two parts or sections.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be obvious tal movement independently of the movement of theseedbox B.

Of the seed-box it will be understood that it may be carried by or mounted upon a soilworking machine in any desired manner and be provided with seed-tubes, as shown, or with a distributing-board, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1,-or arranged to drop seed directly to the ground, and also that it is immaterial as to the character of the internal agitating or valve-operating mechanism so long as revolving shaft,a,is provided within or so nearly adjacent to said box as to enable it to operate said mechanism.

I find it desirable to employ a strong seatstandard, C,in this general variety of machines, and to mount the seed-box detachably thereon, and to provide it with readily detachable steadying braces or chains, as indicated, respectively, at b and c.

The power may be applied to the seed-box shaft at either of its ends, or near the middle thereof; but under this latter arrangement I provide near the seat-standard a recess, as at d, in the lower portion of the seed-box, so that it will be traversed by the shaft a, so as to afford access thereto for driving it by means of power derived from one of theaxles A near itsv inner end.

Sofar as relates to merely operating theseedbox shaft, it is immaterial whether power be applied to said shaft at one end or centrally; but thislatter arrangement is novel with me and of considerable practical value, in that the drive-chain and the sprocket-wheels, being located centrally in the machine,are well protected against contact with obstructions, and the weight. of the drive-chain andthe sprocketsis more. evenly distributed than when carried at the outer ends of an axle and seed-box.

Thejointed-chain frame D in one ofitssim; plest forms consists of two sections, jointed as IIO ate, coupled to or. supported by anaxle at A.

at its lower end and hinged to or supported by aseed-box shaft, (1, at its upper end, and has occupation, respectively, by. the seed-box shaft.

a and the axial pivot-bolt c. This pivot-bolt 6 serves as the axis for the frame sprocketwheel f,- but the pivotal effect may. be secured by meansof a separate bolt or. studs, and said sprocket-wheel may be mounted on itsown axial bolt at either side of the pivotal point, within areasonable distancetherefrom, with out materially affecting the operation of the chains or departing from my invention. The lower section of said frame may also be very simple in its constructionas, for instance, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, composed of side pieces and a central cross-bar, all integral, if desired, and having at its upper end suitable holes for said pivot-bolt e and at its lower end suitable means for operative] y connecting it with or mounting it upon the axle A and affording a central space for the main sprocketwvheel t. In its best form, however, this lower portion of the frame is con structed in two parts, at and n, thus forming a threepart frame. bifurcated to afford space for the intermediate wheel and bearings for the joint pivot-bolt e, itslower end being a screw-threaded stem, to, provided with a nut, m The threaded stem and the nut thereon providefor alongitudinal extension of that portion of the frame, and the stem affords a swiveling movement between the base and the middle parts. The lower or base part, a, is also bifurcated, so as to straddle the main sprocket-wheel 2' and to bear securely and firmly with its concave bearings upon the hub 73 of said wheel, which in this form of machine ordinarily serves as a thirnble between two disks, and is clamped firmly so as to rotate with the axle A. The lower end of the base part a is provided with projecting fingers a parallel with the driving sprocketwheel, which serve as guards or clearing-fingers for preventing an undue accretion of earth or weeds upon said wheel and the chain. A sprocket-wheel clearer, 0, is secured to the frame, it being a stationary but adjustable bladelike finger projecting fully into the central space or groove between the lugs of said wheel, thus preventing it and the chain from becoming unduly clogged. The upper end of the base portion n of the frame is provided with a hollow stem, it", having an interior oval outline laterally, and also tapered sides, as clearly indicated, for free occupation by the threaded stem m of the upper or middle part, m so that the latter may swivel freely, and also swing laterally to a desirable extent independently of the lower or base portion. At the lower end of the stem m the latter may be laterally bored for the reception of a stop-pin, if desired, thus uniting the two parts of this portion of the frame against separation when detached from a machine. The drive-chains g and h here shown may or may not be provided with open links to admit of their removal. It will be seen that when the chain 9 is applied to the main sprocket-wheel t and the central sprocket-wheel, f, the two parts of the frame m and n will be inseparable, while capable of free torsional or swiveling movement, and also have ample lateral flexibility to provide for wide variations in the position of the main sprocket-wheel with reference to the intermediate frame-wheel, without impairing the even tension or the operative relations of the chain 9 with either of its sprocket-wheels, and it will The middle part, m, is

also be seen that by turning the nut at said wheels may be separated and thus enable any desirable tension to be applied to the drivechain It. WVhile this peculiar construction and combination of the parts m and n involve certain specific portions of my invention, some of the advantages thereof will accrue with the simpler forms of jointed frame by providing for free motion at the joint 6, so as to afford a twisting or torsional movement of the lower portion of the frame to a more or less desirable degree without impairing the capacity of the frame as a chain supporting and controlling medium.

It will be sometimes desirable to soconstruct and mount the wheel is in the frame that it may be readily applied to and removed from the seedbox shaftas, for instance, as shown in Fig. 8wherein the two side pieces of the upper part, Z, of the frame are shown in section and the hub of the sprocket wheel is journaled therein. This hub is provided with an axial opening and with clampscrews. The seed-box shaft should then be divided into two parts separated at the recess d for enabling the hollow hub to be readily applied to and removed from the two coincident ends of said shaft, to which the sprocket-wheel is secured by the clampscrews. It is not generally desirable to remove the main sprocketwheelt' from the revolving shaft A but said wheel may be constructed so that it may be applied to the usual sleeve on a disk shaft, as this requires only that the wheel be sectional or in halves, and provided with tangential bolts extending from the bottom of a groove in one half to and through a spoke of the wheel in the other half near the hub, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thus enabling the wheel to be rotatively secured upon the usual sleeve of a disk shaft. It is now to be observed that when myjointed chain frame is in its best form it can be equally well used for coupling a seed-box shaft, either at its middle or at its ends, with or to adjacent inner and outer ends of a disk shaft, A, whether this latter be angularly adjusted by a movement of its inner or of its outer end; but it will be obvious if the seed'box shaft is to be coupled with that particular end of a disk shaft which need be moved but little, if any, in making said adjustment, that the simpler forms of frame will serve a good purpose.

A seed-box with one of my chain frames and its sprockets can obviously be mounted upon the frame of even an ordinary toothed harrow, as illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein the harrow-frame is indicated in dotted lines, and provided with a leveling or seed-covering roller, q, in two parts, united by a rotative axial shaft or bolt on which the main sprocketwheel is mounted; and it will be equally obvious that if said main sprocket-wheel were located at the outer end of the roller a driving connection can be readily made with a projecting end of the seed-box shaft with the same chain and chain frame.

In its best form myjointed frame carries a drive-chain in two parts, and this I believe -will generally be preferred in practice; but

nevertheless in all cases where the main sprocket'wheel is varied in position butlittle, as the result of adjustment, the drive-chain may be in one continuous length, in which case twoseparate sprocket-wheels are used upon the pivot-bolt 6 instead of the one wheel having two grooves for the chain, because with the two separate wheels both will serve as guide-wheels instead of serving as drivewheels, as when the single double -grooved frame-wheel is employed.

It will be readily seen that the drive chain links will be always maintained in such proper and uniform relations with each other that open or hook links can be readily employed therein, to provide for the convenient separation of the chain from the apparatus, if desired, or for its ready application to a machine.

In Fig. 7 I show a simple form of my jointed-chain frame, as when applied to the end of a seed-box shaft, and to the outer end of a disk.

axle,as when said axle end has but little or no inoveinentincident to adjustment, but having the usual capacity for free vertical movements; and when thus employed the same frame will do good service, even if the drive-chain be continuous, as indicated in dotted lines, andso as to be supported at even tension above the joint 6 upon separate frame-wheels on the pivot-bolt.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a seeding-machine, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of'a seed-box shaft,a sprocket-wheel thereon connected by suitable drive chain with a main sprocket-wheel revolved as a result of moving said machine while in. service, and a flexiblyjointed chain frame. extending from the main sprocket-wheel to the sprocket-wheel on the seed-box shaft,and having at its joint a chainsupporting sprocket-wheel, whereby substantially uniform relations are maintained between the chain and all of said sprocketwheels regardless, of those variations in the position of the main sprocket-wheel which are incident to the operation of seeding.

2. In a seeding-machine, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of suitable sprocket-wheels and drive-chain employed therewith for communicating power to a seed-box shaft, and a three-part flexiblyjointed chain frame, one part of which is hinged at one end upon said. shaft and also hinged at its opposite end to one end of a second or middle part of said frame upon a pivot parallel with said shaft, the third part or base of said frame having its lower end supported by the axis of the main sprocket-wheel and its upper end swiveled to one end of said second or middle part for enabling a free torsional movement of said base portion of the frame during variations in the position of the axis of the main or driving sprocket-wheel.

with a seed-box shaft, asprocket-wheel thereon,a main or driving sprocket-wheel and drive: chain coupling said wheels, of a three-part chain frame which is interposed between said shaft andthe main sprocket-wheel,is provided with an intermediate chain-wheel, and-has its lower part or base loosely swiveled to the middle portion, substantially as described, for 'affording not only a torsional movement, but also lateral flexibility, and enabling said base part to freely conform to the various positions assumed by the main sprocket-wheel incident to adjusting and operating the machine.

4. In a seeding-machine, the combination, with the seed-box shaft, a sprocket wheel thereon, a main or driving sprocket-wheel,and suitable drive-chain,of a fiexibl y-j ointed-chaim supporting frame which is interposed between said shaft and the axis of the, main sprocket- 1 wheel, is constructed in parts or sections, and has two of said parts adj ustably connected and forming a longitudinally-extensible portion of the frame, substantially as described, whereby ened condition without. impairing the swiveling movement ofthe lower portion oftheframe in conforming to the varied positions of the main sprocket-wheel incident to the adjustment and operation of the machine in seeding.

5. In a seeding-machine, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of a seed-box having its agitator-shaft provided with a sprocket-wheel accessible near theccnter of the machine for the application of power thereto, a-pair of revolving axles angularly adjustable with reference to the line of draft and having thereon soil-working devices, a main or driving sprocket-wheel upon and near the inner end of one of said axles, a jointedchain frame extending from said main sprocket-wheel to the seed-box shaft, and drive-chain supported under even tension by said frame for communicating power to the seed: box shaft.

6. In a seeding-machine, the combination, with the seed box shaft, a sprocket -wheel thereon, a main or driving sprocket-wheel, a chain frame extending from the main sprocketwheel to theseed-box shaft and flexibly jointed upon a pivot or bolt which is parallel with said shaft, a double-grooved sprocket-wheel mounted in said frame between the main sprocket and the seed-box shaft, and two drivechains for coupling said double-grooved sprocket-wheel, respectively, with said main sprocket-wheel and the sprocket-wheel on the seed box shaft, substantially as described.

7. In a seeding-machine, the combination, with the seed-box shaft, a sprocket wheelthereon, a main or driving sprocket-wheel, and suitable drive-chain, of a'flexiblyrjointed chain frame hinged at one endupon said shaft and at its foot supported on the axis'of the 3. In a seeding-machine, the combination,

the drive-chain can be maintained in a tight- ITO main sprocket-wheel and provided with clearstud or finger projecting into the chain groove ing-fingers at each side -of and parallel with of the main sprocket-wheel, substantially as said wheel, substantially as described,whereby described, for freeing said groove from earth, the chain and said main sprocket-wheel are roots, and other obstructive matter while the 5 protected against being unduly clogged by machine is in service. roots and earth while the machine is in service. 8. In a seeding-machine, the combination, GEORGE MARSHALL OLARK' with the seed box shaft and its sprocket- WVitnesses: wheel, a main or driving sprocket-wheel, and ROBERT S. KRUTTENDEN,

1o suitable drive-chain, of a stationary clearing ROBERT B. CLARKE. 

